Supporting Japanese Mothers of Children with ADHD: Cultural Adaptation of the New Forest Parent Training Programme

International practice guidelines recommend medication and behavioral intervention as evidenced‐based treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Currently in Japan, the availability of non‐pharmacological interventions for ADHD is limited. We report the results of a pilot and a proof‐of‐concept study for a new behavioral intervention for Japanese mothers of children with ADHD. The pilot study delivered a standard six‐session behavioral intervention and two parent‐support sessions. Participants approved the group format and requested additional support to change parenting practices and behavioral strategies targeting ADHD symptoms. For the proof‐of‐concept study, the intervention was revised to include five sessions of pre‐intervention support followed by six sessions of the New Forest Parent Training Programme (NFPP), an evidence‐based intervention for ADHD. The revised intervention, NFPP‐Japan, was associated with reductions in the mothers’ reports of children's ADHD symptoms and aggression, more effective parenting practices, and reduced parenting stress. The pilot and proof‐of‐concept studies indicate that it is possible to successfully modify Western behavioral interventions for Japanese mothers and to justify a randomized controlled trial evaluation of the NFPP‐Japan, which is currently underway.     

On the stability of instability: Optimising the reliability of intra-subject variability of reaction times

While reaction times have been traditionally aggregated using measures of central tendency, interest in higher moments of the reaction time distribution, particularly intra-subject variability (ISV), has grown in recent years. However it is unclear to what extent individual differences in these higher moments are stable across time, reflecting trait-like features. The present study compares the reliability of a number of metrics for higher moments of the reaction time distribution on a battery of speeded tasks, and supplements these analyses with a Monte Carlo analysis of the go no-go task. The reliability of ISV is shown to be dependent on both the metric used and the number of trials used to calculate them. However, when using sufficient trials and appropriate metrics, ISV shows good test-retest and odd-even reliability. This study has important practical implications for the design and analysis of studies into ISV, as well as theoretical importance for the trait concept of ISV.     

Processing Speed and Neurodevelopment in Adolescent-Onset Psychosis: Cognitive Slowing Predicts Social Function

Onset of psychosis may be associated with abnormal adolescent neurodevelopment. Here we examined the neurocognitive profile of first-episode, adolescent onset psychosis (AOP) as compared to typically developing adolescents, and asked whether neurocognitive performance varied differentially as a function of age in the cases compared with controls. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered to 35 patients experiencing a first-episode of a DSM-IV psychotic disorder and to 31 matched controls. Clinicians also rated subjects’ social and role functioning, both at the time of neuropsychological assessment and 1 year later. Although patients displayed a wide range of impairments relative to controls, their most pronounced deficits included verbal memory, sensorimotor dexterity and cognitive processing speed. Among these, only processing speed showed a significant group-by-age interaction, consistent with an aberrant developmental course among AOP patients. Processing speed also accounted for substantial variance in other areas of deficit, and predicted social functioning 1 year later. AOP patients fail to show normal age-related increases in processing speed, which in turn predicts poorer functional outcomes. This pattern is consistent with the view that adolescent brain developmental processes, such as myelination, may be disrupted in these patients.     

The longitudinal relation between personality disorder symptoms and depression in adolescence: the mediating role of interpersonal stress

The relation between personality disorder (PD) symptoms, depression, and interpersonal stress were examined over 6 months in a sample of 143 adolescents from a low-income urban high school. Both self report questionnaires in the full sample and structured interviews in a subset of 54 girls indicated the following: PD symptoms predicted greater depressive symptoms and interpersonal stress over time; PD symptoms were highly stable; depressive symptoms did not predict change in PD symptoms over time. Moreover, an integrative model was supported, wherein the route by which PD symptoms led to greater depression was via the generation of interpersonal stress. These results suggest that adolescents' PD symptoms play a destructive role in the construction of interpersonal circumstances during a key period for depression onset.     

IQ on the rise: the Flynn effect in rural Kenyan children

Abstract - Multiple studies have documented significant IQ gains over time, a phenomenon labeled the Flynn effect. Data from 20 industrialized nations show massive IQ gains over time, most notably in culturally reduced tests like the Raven's Progressive Matrices. To our knowledge, however, this is the first study to document the Flynn effect in a rural area of a developing country. Data for this project were collected during two large studies in Embu, Kenya, in 1984 and 1998. Results strongly support a Flynn effect over this 14-year period, with the most significant gains found in Raven's matrices. Previously hypothesized explanations (e.g., improved nutrition; increased environmental complexity; and family, parental, school, and methodological factors) for the Flynn effect are evaluated for their relevance in this community, and other potential factors are reviewed. The hypotheses that resonate best with our findings are those related to parents' literacy, family structure, and children's nutrition and health.     

Perfectionism and statistics anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perfectionism and statistics anxiety, using a multivariate approach. Participants were 107 students enrolled in graduate-level research methodology courses. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that graduate students who hold unrealistic standards for significant others (i.e. other-oriented perfectionists) and those who maintain a perceived need to attain standards and expectations prescribed by significant others (i.e. socially-prescribed perfectionists) tend to have higher levels of statistics anxiety associated with interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept and fear of asking for help. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

A restraint system for the psychophysiological study of dogs

The present report describes a system for continuous psychophysiological study of the dog in a relatively flexible restraint harness that maintains the animal in a constant directional orientation, but allows him to assume any of a number of standing, sitting, or lying positions. The system permits the concurrent monitoring of behavioral and physiological processes under both acute and chronic conditions. A harness consisting of a leather collar and two body yokes is suspended from a pivoting metal hanger assembly. The harness is integrated with an isolation hamber equipped with automatic food, ater, stimulus, and response devices. Techniques for installing and maintaining dogs in the harness are described. A system for the continuous monitoring of cardiovascular functions and some experimental uses of the restraint system are suggested.     

Further evidence that the family assessment device should be reorganized: response to Miller and colleagues

Ridenour, Daley, and Reich's (1999) factor analyses of the Family Assessment Device (FAD) indicated that the FAD be reorganized. Miller and colleagues (2000) contend that the FAD be used in its original format based on the FAD's theoretical foundation; however, this does not preclude the importance of scientific scrutiny of an instrument's construct validity to determine how well an instrument represents its theoretical base. Subscale factor analyses (exploratory and confirmatory), item-level factor analysis, and the clinical and psychometric studies cited by Miller and colleagues suggest a more parsimonious FAD configuration and were consistent with Ridenour and colleagues' factor analyses.     

Academic performance and participation in physical activity by secondary school adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between adolescents' academic performance and participation in physical activity. 232 boys and girls from Years 8-11 (ages 13-16 years) were randomly selected, and their academic performance was assessed on previous examination scores in English, Mathematics, and Science. Participants were also asked to list all the sports based physical activities in which they normally participated during a typical week and to indicate how many times per week they took part in each activity and the duration of each. Overall, no significant correlations were found, although weak negative correlations were recorded between the amount of time (in minutes) in sport and exercise and English scores for children ages 13, 14, and 16 years. A similar association was also noted for Science scores of children 16 years old.